Computing Engineer

Job Posting Organization:
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is a leading scientific research institution established in 195

• It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and is known for its groundbreaking work in particle physics. CERN operates in multiple countries and employs thousands of professionals from various fields, including engineering, technical, scientific, and administrative roles. The organization is dedicated to pushing the frontiers of science and technology, fostering an environment of innovation and collaboration. Diversity is a core value at CERN, and it remains central to its mission and continued success, with a commitment to inclusion and the value of every contribution made by its diverse teams.

Job Overview:
The position of Computing Engineer within CERN's IT Monitoring infrastructure involves providing essential monitoring services for the CERN Datacenter and the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) as well as CERN's experimental communities. The infrastructure processes an impressive volume of over 100,000 log messages per second and manages more than 160 million active time series, along with over 200 billion stored documents, serving a community of over 6,000 active users. As a member of the Monitoring team, the successful candidate will be responsible for operating, maintaining, and evolving a diverse portfolio of centrally offered monitoring solutions. This includes working with advanced technologies such as Grafana, OpenTelemetry, the Prometheus ecosystem, Apache Kafka, Kubernetes, FluentBit, OpenSearch, and Apache Spark. The role requires a proactive approach to support end-user requests, troubleshoot integration issues, and resolve performance or availability challenges in distributed systems. The position is hybrid, allowing for a mix of remote and on-site work, and involves a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation in a fast-paced environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Computing Engineer will have a comprehensive set of responsibilities, including but not limited to: operating and evolving the monitoring infrastructure, which involves development in programming languages such as Go, Python, and Java; supporting end-user requests for integration, problem-solving, or consulting; debugging and resolving performance or availability issues on distributed systems; collaborating with team members to enhance monitoring solutions; and ensuring the reliability and efficiency of the monitoring services provided to the CERN community. The role may also involve participating in stand-by duty as required by the needs of the organization, contributing to the overall success of CERN's IT operations.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must meet specific eligibility criteria to apply for this position. Applicants should be nationals of a CERN Member or Associate Member State and must have a maximum of two years of professional experience since graduation in Computing Science or a related field. The highest educational qualification required is either a Bachelor's or Master's degree. It is important to note that applicants who have previously held a CERN fellow or graduate contract are not eligible, and those without a university degree or with a PhD will also not be considered for this position.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computing Science or a related field. This educational foundation is essential for understanding the complexities of the technologies and systems that the Computing Engineer will be working with, as well as for effectively contributing to the monitoring infrastructure at CERN.

Experience:
The ideal candidate should possess experience in operating and managing Kubernetes deployments of medium to large scale. Additionally, familiarity with observability tooling such as FluentBit, the OpenTelemetry collector, and Prometheus is highly desirable. Experience with GitOps tooling (such as ArgoCD) and infrastructure as code solutions like Terraform is also beneficial. Candidates should demonstrate a solid understanding of container-based environments and orchestration solutions, as well as a collaborative work ethic.

Languages:
Proficiency in spoken and written English is mandatory for this position, as it is the primary language of communication at CERN. Additionally, candidates should have a commitment to learning French, which is considered a valuable asset for integration into the CERN community and for effective communication with colleagues.

Additional Notes:
The contract duration for this position is 24 months, with the possibility of extension up to a maximum of 36 months. The working hours are set at 40 hours per week, and the position offers hybrid job flexibility. The target start date for the role is May 1, 202

• The job reference for this position is IT-DA-ASM-2025-285-GRAE, and it falls under the field of Software Engineering and IT. Compensation includes a monthly stipend ranging from 5,196 to 5,716 Swiss Francs, which is tax-free, along with 30 days of paid leave per year and additional benefits such as comprehensive health insurance coverage, family allowances, and a relocation package depending on individual circumstances. On-the-job and formal training opportunities, including language classes, are also provided.